Sunday, May 03, 2009

Here in Canada we keep a close watch on our pigs. After all, Canadian back bacon is a national symbol. Nothing but the latest in molecular diagnostics for them. They minute they get infected, we know. For H1N1, that moment has arisen, sparking global interest in the fate of our little piggies:

"On Saturday, Canadian health officials said that the virus had been found in sick pigs on one farm in Alberta, the first report of the swine flu’s actually being found in swine. Previously, there had been heated debate about whether the virus could infect pigs, even though its genetic makeup clearly points to its having originated in swine at some point."

Ironicallythe pig in question got the flu from some dirty human:

"A worker at the farm had traveled to Mexico, fallen ill there and unknowingly brought the disease back to Canada last month. The worker has recovered."

Come on people, let's be a little more careful, this is our national treasure we're talking about. As for you consumers on the international market, not to worry; you can't get the flu from meat. So keep buying Canadian and stuffing your faces with our delicious bacon!

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